The present invention relates generally to user interfaces in computer systems and more particularly to a graphical user interface method and system for assisting a user with the task of viewing documents in non-directed arrangements, such as pages on the World Wide Web.
User interfaces exist for a variety of well-known Internet retrieval and display programs, called browsers. Browsers present data retrieved from the World Wide Web in a display area on a computer display screen. Browser user interfaces come in a wide variety of functional and appearance embodiments that differ from one supplier to the next. A browser interface may be customized to a certain degree but cannot be replaced completely. For example, a browser may have a menu bar or tool bar whose contents can be changed, removed or arranged differently to suit the needs or taste of the user. Also, some browser user interface components can be customized by referencing new executable code. However the basic structure of the user interface remains the same, since only specific functions can be customized.
Users can view pages on the World Wide Web by entering a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) into a field of the browser user interface. The browser will then fetch the web page corresponding to the URL from the appropriate server. Each received URL has data contents, called a web page, that are processed and presented by the browser either through use of its own facilities or through use of facilities provided by the operating system under which the browser is executing or through other applications executing concurrently. The web page can contain any mixture of text, graphic imagery, pictures, sounds and even motion picture information. Web pages also include links to other web pages. Links appear to the user as text that is highlighted in some manner, such as underlining. Each link is associated with the URL of another web page on the World Wide Web. By selecting the link with the mouse or other pointing device, the user can move to the web page corresponding to the link.
FIG. 1 depicts a representative user interface for a typical browser application program as is commonly provided for use with personal computers, work stations, multiple computers in a client server arrangement and personal digital devices. Browser applications such as the Netscape Corporation""s Navigator(trademark) or the Microsoft Corporation""s Internet Explorer(trademark) are well known in the art. The browser interface of FIG. 1 is displaying some representative data from a source associated with a URL. A user will normally employ the user interface to browse all the data content received from a source on the World Wide Web associated with a URL. The user interface is typically a static array of functionally selectable icons, scrollbars, typing fields, buttons and the like, a display area and control functions. In FIG. 1, a display screen 1 has a display area 2, shown within the dotted line, for displaying the web pages, and a user interface control area 3, which can include a plurality of buttons, such as button 5, and a plurality of pull down menus 6. A scroll bar control 4 enables the user to scroll through the page in display area 2.
Browsers commonly known in the art have user interfaces that display only one page at a time, providing little or no information about web pages that could be browsed by selecting a link from the displayed page. Attempts have been made to provide users with information about other web pages that are linked to the current web page. One approach is to provide a URL field that displays the URL associated with a link whenever the user passes the mouse pointer over the link. URL field 8 is an example of such a field. As the user moves the cursor 10 over link 7, the contents of the URL field 8 changes to reflect the URL of the link 7 to xe2x80x9chttp://www.widget.com/home.html.xe2x80x9d Another approach is to provide an xe2x80x9calt tagxe2x80x9d field that contains further textual information that is displayed in a pop-up bubble when the user moves the cursor over its associated link. For example, in FIG. 1, pop-up bubble 11 displays the contents of the alt tag field, xe2x80x9cWidget""s Home Pagexe2x80x9d in response to the user""s having moved cursor 10 over link 7. While these approaches provide the user with some indication of what to expect from the next web page, there is heretofore no method of giving the user a xe2x80x9cglimpse into the futurexe2x80x9d of what the pages pointed to by the links of her page have in store.
What is needed is a method for providing users viewing a non-directed collection of documents information about documents related to the document currently being viewed.
A graphical user interface that presents information about documents organized in a non-directed arrangement to the user is provided by the present invention. In an exemplary embodiment, methods and systems including a graphical user interface for browsing or searching one or more documents are provided. The graphical user interface can provide information about content of a current page, previously viewed pages and pages that can be viewed by traversing various hypertext links. The invention can be embodied in computer systems that include user input devices, processors, displays, storage and the like.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for viewing a plurality of documents in a non-directed arrangement includes a step of fetching into memory documents associated by links to a current document. The links can be Uniform Resource Locators (URL) and the like. The method includes a step of displaying the current document in a first display area on the display. A step of displaying a representation of content of at least one of the pre-fetched documents in a second display area on the display in response to a signal from the user input device is also part of the method. Such a signal can be a click of a mouse button, touch of a key on a keyboard, activation of a point on a touch screen, or the like. A step of selecting a second current document from among the pre-fetched documents in response to another signal from the user input device is also part of the method. The method also includes a step of displaying the second current document in the first display area of the display. A step of fetching into memory documents associated by links to the second current document, forming a second plurality of pre-fetched documents, is also included in the method. The method performs a step of displaying a representation of content of at least one of the second plurality of pre-fetched documents in the second display area in response to a signal from the user input device. Repeatedly performing the above steps as the user browses documents can provide a method for viewing the documents in a non-directed arrangement.
Some embodiments can also include the step of displaying a representation of content of the previously current document in a third area on the display. The third area of the display is updated with a representation of content when the user selects a new current document to view. In many embodiments, a thumb nail image can be used to represent the content of the document. In some embodiments, the thumb nail image can include highlighting of concepts of interest to the user contained within the document. A presently preferable embodiment is useful for providing viewing of pages of the world wide web. However, these embodiments can also provide viewing of other documents having Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) format. Other embodiments can be useful for viewing documents produced by a word processing program, and the like.
In an alternative embodiment, a computer program for viewing one or more documents having a non-directed arrangement is provided. In an exemplary embodiment, the computer program is operable on computing systems comprising a user input device coupled to a processor, a display and a memory. The computer program can include code for fetching into memory documents associated by one or more links to a first current document to form a first plurality of pre-fetched documents. The computer program can also include code for displaying the first current document in a first display area on the display screen. Code for displaying a representation of content of one or more of the pre-fetched documents in a second display area on the display in response to a first signal received from the user input device can also be part of the program. Code for selecting a second current document from the pre-fetched documents in response to a second signal from the user input device is also included in the computer program. The program can also include code for displaying the second current document in the first display area of the display and code for displaying a representation of content of the first current document in a third area on the display. Code for fetching into memory documents associated by one or more links to the second current document to form a second plurality of pre-fetched documents can also be included. Additionally, code for displaying a representation of content of one or more of a second plurality of pre-fetched documents in the second display area of the display screen in response to a third signal from the user input device can also be part of the program product. By repeatedly invoking the above code as the user browses documents, the program product can provide a user interface for viewing documents arranged in a non-directed arrangement.
In another alternative embodiment, an apparatus for viewing one or more documents in a non-directed arrangement comprises a memory, a user input device, a display and a processor, operatively disposed to fetch into memory documents associated by links to a first current document, in order to form a first plurality of pre-fetched documents. The apparatus is can display the first current document in a first display area on the display and display a representation of content of one or more pre-fetched documents in a second display area on the display in response to a first signal from the user input device. The apparatus can also select a second current document from the plurality of pre-fetched documents in response to a second signal from the user input device and display the second current document in the first display area of the display. A representation of content of the first current document can be displayed in a third area on the display in some embodiments. The apparatus can fetch into memory documents associated by one or more links to the second current document, forming a second plurality of pre-fetched documents, and display a representation of content of one or more of the second plurality of pre-fetched documents in the second display area on the display in response to a third signal from the user input device. Further, the apparatus can repeatedly perform the above as the user browses documents in the plurality of documents in a non-directed arrangement.
Numerous benefits are achieved by way of the present invention over conventional techniques. The present invention can provide a way to display a large quantity of information about a plurality of web pages to a user on a single screen. Some embodiments according to the present invention are easier to use than conventional web browser user interfaces. Embodiments according to the invention can provide more information to the user than known techniques. Many embodiments according to the invention will enhance the user""s web browsing experience by providing indication of which links are likely to be of most interest. These and other benefits are described throughout the present specification.